10 Missed City and State parks You Want to Camp
Alafia River State Park
We have been traveling full time in our RV for over four years. We have been lucky to visit many beautiful city and state parks along the way. The more popular, well-known parks are blogged about and posted in YouTube videos all the time. But what about those small, hidden gems?? You know, the ones offering just as much but are often overlooked. Today we are sharing a few of those with you. Pull out your must-see map because you will want to add these parks to your list!
Don't have a personalized must-see map? I can show you how to make one in minutes for free with Google Maps. CLICK HERE.
state parks you want to camp
Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY
We absolutely loved this state park. There is beauty everywhere you turn. Letchworth’s claim to fame is three beautiful waterfalls falling up to 600 feet. These waterfalls are surrounded by lush trees and forests. You will not be disappointed!
After you finish gazing a the majestic waterfalls, you will want to take a stroll on one of their many trails. There are 65 miles worth of trails, so plenty to keep you busy! They also offer nature, history, performing arts programs, guided walks, tours, a summer lecture series, whitewater rafting, kayaking, swimming pool, and hot air ballooning.
One of the coolest things about this park is all the winter activities! You can go snow tubing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. Not that you will ever find me up there in the cold! Brrr!
The campground has 257 electric only sites up to 50 feet long. This state park books up quickly but if you pop over occasionally you can snag some cancellations just like we did back in 2020.
See Letchworth state park highlighted below!
Winter Island Campground small city park is on the Salem Harbor and managed by the city of Salem. This beachfront park has eighteen 50 amp and ten 30 amp RV campsites. Some campsites are on old parking lots, and others are in a field. They are not glamorous, but they get the job done.
This campground has a long history. It began as a fort in 1643. George Washington’s frigate, the USS Essex, was built here and launched in 1799. It was used to store ammunition during the civil war in one of three bunkers. In the 1930s, it became a Coast Guard station. The city of Salem took over the property when the Coast Guard Station closed in 1972. You can still see remnants of its military history all over the park.
Sometimes the location of the campground is more important than the campground itself. Although the campground is fantastic the best thing about it is the location. It is right on the harbor with a beautiful lighthouse and seven minutes from the historical witch trial museum.
Want to travel to Boston? Winter Island is the closest campground to Boston on the north shore. The train is the best way into the city, and the station is just 8 minutes away!
The campground has 28 electric only RV sites up to 45 feet long. We stayed in the grassy area next to Al and Angie.
Planning to visit Gettysburg? Well this quiet park is the perfect place to park the RV and relax after a day touring the battlefields. It offers 3500 acres of rolling hills. A major feature of this park is Lake Marburg. You will find the lake dotted with migrating birds, motor boats and sailboats. And if you are a fan of fishing this is your place!
This park is also open year around. The offer winter activities including ice fishing, sledding, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.
The campground has 190 campsites and is open from April through November. There are 31 full hookup sites and 59 electric only sites. The campground has sites up to 50 feet long.
Lake Arrowhead sits between Dallas and Oklahoma City. It boasts a 16,200-acre lake perfect for swimming, boating or water-skiing. Other draws to this campground include hiking, fishing and birdwatching. Sign the littles up for a few of the Junior Ranger events. They will love it!
The campground offers 45 electric RV sites up to 65 feet long.
This state park is packed full of activities with the most popular being mountain bike riding. There are miles of trails for all levels. We had the best time at this campground. There is even a full service bike shop in the park for repairs and bike rentals. Other activities include canoeing and fishing.
The large campsites were surrounded by huge trees draped in spanish moss providing just the right amountt of shade. Need to relax? Grab a book and watch the spanish moss sway with the wind.
This campground has 16 water and electric RV sites up to 60 feet long.
This state park is a true find! We had no idea this state park would be so beautiful and unique. We were caravaning with Al and Angie. The drive through Big Horn National Forest on highway 16 to Medicine Lodge from Cody is still my favorite. This park is on the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains. There is so much to see and do here. When we arrived, snow was on the ground, and it was freezing. Needless to say, I did not get out and explore as much as I should have.
This site has been called home by someone for over 10,000 years. The history that occupies these 12,000 acres is just incredible. There is a 700 foot long sandstone cliff with hundreds of Native American petroglyphs and pictographs. It was so cool to discover the story they were trying to share.
Medicine Lodge has a lot to keep you busy if you are there in the warmer months. There are hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, biking, or even ATVs. You can also go fishing, explore the nearby dinosaur tracks, or enjoy the onsite museum.
The campground offers 28 sites. Most of the sites are dry camping but you might be able to score one of the 20 amp sites if you are lucky. The only negative thing about this park is the lack of cell and wifi signal.
Medicine Lodge State Park, site 11
Buffalo Bill state park is just outside of Cody and only 40 miles to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It is the perfect place to park the RV while exploring Cody. We spent over a week here before moving to the entrance of Yellowstone.
Cody has so much to see and do. You can visit the historic Irma Hotel, which dates back to 1902. Grab your cowboy hat and head to Stampede Park to watch the rodeo. But that is not all. You can also grab your mountain bike and hit the trails and pump track, tour the Buffalo Bill Dam, go shopping, kayaking, rock climbing, and more.
If you love Mom & Pops, there is a family owned Mexican restaurant called Michaels Tacos on the way into town. The food was fantastic, the staff was friendly, and best of all, the margaritas were delicious!
Buffalo Bill has two campgrounds. We chose North Fork because it was closer to Cody. It has 62 campsites with water, and some have 50 amp. If you are lucky, you can snag one of the sites along the water. You can also choose Lake Shore campground. It has 36 campsites but much more activity due to the boat ramp and day use area.
Phil mountain biking in Cody
Harrison Bay State Park is 1,200 acres with 40 miles of Chickamauga Lake shoreline. This park was once Cherokee land with three Cherokee villages, so there is a rich history here. Harrison Bay opened in 1937 and was the first Tennessee State Park.
Activities at the park include hiking, biking, fishing boating and believe it or not golfing! Yup, it has a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. There is plenty to keep you active and out of the RV!
The campground has 128 sites with water and electric up to 65 feet long. But beware leveling the RV may be difficult in some of those sites.
Scotts Bluff National Monument
CITY PARKS you want to camp
This free campground is all about location. This small city park is only 5 miles from Chimney Rock National Historic Site. If you are passing through Nebraska, it's a must see.
Chimney Rock sits along the Oregon Trail. It was a signal to the settlers that the easy trek through the prairies was ending and the rugged terrain of the Rockies was just ahead.
After visiting Chimney Rock, make the drive to Scotts Bluff National Monument. It was also an essential part of the Oregon Trail. You can see and walk through ruts created by the many wagons that made the passage west.
The city of Bayard offers 3 electric and water sites. You can stay for free for 2 nights. After that, it's $10 per night for the next 5 nights. You will see a lush, green park through your front window and a corn field to the right.
See Bayard City Park and Crawford City Park in video below.
This campground was an unexpected find. To be honest, we were just killing time as we traveled north when I found this park. I was looking for an inexpensive place to land before we got to South Dakota. We loved this place! Although it is in the middle of a tiny town, there is plenty to do here.
The park has rodeo grounds, playgrounds, a tennis court, a basketball court, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball, frisbee golf, trails, and a track for dirt bikes. They really pack a punch in this small park. If you hop on your bike, you can take the trail to historic Fort Robinson State Park, only 3.5 miles away. The Fort is beautiful and full of history.
Crawford has 4 water and electric sites for $20 per night and 6 dry camping sites for only $10 per night. We chose a quiet dry camping spot just behind the old fish hatchery. We loved this place! Fort Robinson also has a campground, but I prefer the open space of the city park every day of the week.
Trail ride to Fort Robinson
full time rv life
One of the things I love most about our life on the road is all the locations we find by accident! There are so many places in our great country just waiting for us. Places we never dreamed existed. We hope to discover many more as we continue this wonderful RV life!
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